Weekly Geeks: Haiti

Since Haiti has received a lot of press this past week, and is likely in everyone’s thoughts, I thought we could take this opportunity to talk about Haiti in a positive light.

Last week my friend Terri at Reading, Writing and Retirement wrote an excellent review of The Dew Breaker, that inspired me to pull this book off my shelves. This is a collection of short stories, so I figured I could read a few and discuss them here. As I write this, I’ve passed the halfway mark. These stories are quite good. The main character in each story differs, but they are all Haitian immigrants living in New York. They all have some personal connection to political repression and violence in their homeland. In Terri’s review, she described the intricate connections between stories, which I agree is the real strength and power of this book.

I first discovered Edwidge Danticat in 2008; I think I stumbled upon an NPR piece after the release of Brother, I’m Dying. I decided to begin with her debut novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory, which I reviewed in March 2008. I reviewedBrother, I’m Dying a few months later. I had picked up a copy of The Dew Breaker at a library book sale; why didn’t I read it then as well? Who knows … but I can definitely recommend all three of these books.